South Korea's Strategic Investment In Ai: Paving The Way For Technological Leadership
Asia
Business
With technological advancements, Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to make waves and could trigger the growth of economies of countries that adopt an early reliance on artificial intelligence. South Korea is headed to the phase of Artificial Intelligence by making huge investments in AI to become a global leader in this sector. The country aims to achieve a competitive edge over other countries in technology capabilities by advancing research and investment in AI. In 2019, the country made a strategic plan to make it a powerhouse in AI by 2030. It aims to achieve the strategic plan by engaging with the private sector in the country. The first objective of being a powerhouse is the establishment of a national AI computing centre. South Korea estimates an investment of $1.7 billion into the National AI computing centre by the year-end of 2027. South Korea is a leader in technology advancements in consumer electronics, where Samsung and LG have spearheaded cutting-edge technologies. Samsung and Hynix have also dominated the semiconductor industry on the global stage. South Korea was also among the countries to be the first to roll out 5G connectivity. It is also making strides in robotics, biotechnology in genetic research, and automotive technology by taking initiatives in self-driving systems in electric vehicles (EVs). By engaging companies such as Samsung and LG, it could accelerate its dominance in AI heading to 2030. The country aims to join other leading players in artificial intelligence such as the US, China, United Kingdom, India, Japan, Germany, Israel, and Singapore. South Korea aims to beat Chinese companies; Tencent, Baidu, and Huawei which lead in AI innovation and adoption in the region. The government aims to create a society that not only uses AI but understands the core of AI. For that reason, it has promoted the integration and teaching of AI courses by the end of 2025. AI courses are being taught in leading schools, while curriculum development includes important concepts of AI such as machine learning and data analysis. Workshops and AI competitions are making AI a career top choice for most young people in South Korea. The path to make South Korea a powerhouse is also evident in universities such as Yonsei and Seoul National University, which have placed great emphasis on AI programs making them among the best tertiary institutions in the world to offer AI education. The ground laid for AI by South Korea prepares the future generation to make AI more advanced and in use for day-to-day activities. The country has raised stakes in its engagement and discussions with other international players in AI through research AI summits by hosting summits such as the AI Seoul Summit which has been held in the country since 2018. This showcases the intentional goals that South Korea has in AI research and development. While AI could alleviate challenges in infrastructure, finance, health, education, manufacturing, and service delivery to the people in South Korea, it also could lead to increased misinformation and deepfakes, violation of privacy of people, inequality distribution of AI, market volatility due to reliance on AI trading, harnessing of weapons which could affect how safe people feel about AI. The over-reliance on AI by individuals could also result in reduced critical thinking due to information overload and brain-shrinking resulting in ineffective decision making in some areas that require human understanding. However, the benefits of AI outweigh its disadvantages, which has necessitated South Korea to heavily invest in AI research and development across various levels in the country. For South Korea to reach the full potential of AI, more collaboration is needed with other leading AI players and equitably sharing its AI resources with its citizens.
18 DAYS AGO
